This invention relates generally to food trays and more particularly to a tray structured so that a person can simultaneously grip and support the tray with a single hand while grasping a beverage container with a finger and thumb of the same hand. This invention includes the combination of a food tray and beverage container. Since the tray can support both food items and a beverage glass, the present invention is especially useful at social gatherings and parties. A person thus keeps one hand free for social interaction, i.e., hand shaking, gesturing and the like, while maintaining ambulatory mobility.
The problem of serving food and drink at cocktail parties, receptions and the like where guests remain standing has long presented a problem. The reason for this problem is that a person is generally required to hold a drink in one hand and a plate containing food in the other hand. With both hands occupied, it is difficult for the guests to socially interact by shaking hands, gesturing and the like. In addition, many persons still enjoy smoking cigarettes or other tobacco products at such gatherings. This habit, although not advocated by the present inventors, presents a further problem of holding yet another item in the hands while socializing. The required "juggling" of these items can easily result in spillage of food and drinks. Furthermore, guests often become compelled to walk around the party room in order to find a place to set their drink or tray or to locate an ashtray. This unnecessary movement is generally undesirable in that it increases the likelihood of guests bumping into one another which increases the likelihood of food and drink spillage and even increases the chance of the accidental burning of clothing. The problem can become quite serious at parties where a lot of drinking is ocurring, and has even been known to anger guests to the point where altercations have ensued.
One attempt to solve this problem is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,401,858 to White et al issued Sept. 17, 1968. White et al attempts to solve the aforementioned problem by providing a service tray which can hold food and drink and be held in one hand. The tray has a bottom which is bounded by a vertical wall. One end of the wall is provided with openings through which the thumb and index finger of a user may be inserted for grasping a beverage container while the bottom of the tray is simultaneously supported by the remaining fingers of the user's same hand. Manufacture of this tray, though, either requires more expensive injection molding techniques or, where vacuum molding is employed, requires additional cutting steps to make the thumb and finger openings.
While the tray disclosed in White et al undoubtedly works as intended, there is still a need for a tray which can be gripped more easily and tighter in one hand and which can be manufactured by less time consuming and costly processes. Such processes which can produce the tray in one step without requiring additional cutting or fabrication steps would greatly decrease the cost of manufacture. Also, where such tray is constructed of less costly materials, further economy is realized. The present invention thus is intended to be an improvement over that tray shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,401,858.